Process for separating hydrocarbons



DQPH LEGMATOR March' 23 1926. 1,577,449

I w. CLAVERILLFJR PROCESS FOR SEPARATING HYDROCARBONS Original Filed Oct. '7, 1922 CONDENSE R D' k0 ELVSWBUNOD INVENTOR. W.C'. HVEFF/L LIJ-R.

TORNEYS.

" erg n F iii orliginelap plioation filed hotelier "4', less, iterial No. 533,03 Divided end this application mm December 10, last. Series Tito. states. I

T all whom it may come m I Be it known that 1, Winners G.

Jr., a citizen of the United States 0 America, and a resident oi Houston, coun- 5 ty of Harris, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Processes for Separating Hydrocarbons, of

which the followin is a description.

The present a p ication is e, division oi my pending app icotion, filed October 7,1922.

An object of my invention to obtain a clean separation of low boiling hydrocarbons from high boiling hydrocarbons hoth Serial No 593,084,

. economically and rapidly.

A second object or my invention is to oh tain an additional refining of the low holling point hydrocarbons simultaneously "with their separation from the high boiling point hydrocarbons.

The novel features of my process are pointed out with. particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, with further objects and advantages,

will best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- The figure is a schematic representation,

partly in section oi'apparetus for carrying 80 out my invention.

In the drawing 1 indicates a still into which crude petroleum or like oil is in troducediby pump 1, through pipe 1 Preferably the pipe l is coiled within the still below'the oil level therein so that the incoming oil is heated approximately to the temperature of the oil in the still before being discharged from the pipe The oil is supplied from the pipe lflinto pans 2 un- 40 der ressure suilioient to'prevent the Water in t e oil changing into steam Within the "pipe 1". The upper ortion of he pipe 1" 1s perforated as indicated. andithe water consequently suddenly vaporizedinto steem above the pans 2; atomizing the oil, an assisting in the liberation o gasoline an like low boiling ingredients of the hydro carbon being distilled. Separation of steam and light hydrocarbons from heavy hydrocarbons is further promoted by the pans 2 into which the unveporized hydrocarbons fall from the pipe 1" and from which they continue to over-now from one to the other d returned to the still.

until they unite with the body of liquid in the lower part oi the still. i

Vapors of the hydrocarbons of the de sired specific gravity and above a definite vaporization point being distilled oil, to gether with water vapor, pass out of the still 1, through a large upwardly inclined pipe 3 Whichdelivers the vapors into a to'werlike dephlegmator 4, which may be packed with any suitable material such as broken coke, bricks, stoneware, or the like. in practice, I have found it desirable to use a plurality of small iron pipe sections 4: arranged Within the dephlegmator as shown. portion of the hydrocarbon vapor con denses in tower 4 and drops to the hott oi the tower accompanied hy the conden water vapors. At the bottom of the tower 4- is a water draw-oil leg 5 with an automatic drain trap 5 having a vent 5*, drain acting to allow the water to be discharged continuously. From the top of the draw oil leg 5, Where the intrapped liquid hydrocarbons float a pipe 6 leads oil to circulate pump 6 which pumps the hydrocarbon condensate through spray the tower 4. lhis condensate then comes into contact with the ascending vapors which has the effect of reheating and removing from the condensate practically all remaim ing high boiling oils or heavy ends. This operation is continuous and by means of the circulating pump the oil is exposed many times to the ascending vapors and an cellent separation of high boiling point niaterial or heavy ends from low boiling point material or light ends is obtained. I regard as the important feature, and to which I attribute the success of my invention, the fact that the condensate is repeatedly sprayed over and subjected. to the action of the rising vapors. Heretofore, the practice has been come into contact with the rising vapors to collect the heavy ends so that they may he On the contrary in my apparatus the vapors from the still. puss through the falling condensate repeatedly from the water so that leave the upper ends'oi the after separation when the vapors dephlegmator 4t, of the lighter hydrocarbons which the orig inal oil contained. This had been found at the top of to allow the condensate tothey carry substantially all,

(ill

till

"ill? at one operation,

to increase the production of gasoline obtained from Mexican oils by approximately 50 per cent. In dephlegmator 4, the rising vapors are indicated by the arrows A and the circulated condensate by the streams B from the spray 7.

Uncondensed vapors are led ofl' from the upper. part of tower 4 and delivered into the lower part of a second tower 8 by means of i e 8. Tower 8 is also preferably acl e d with material inert to the hydrocaron-and steam vapors, such as that mentioned in connection with tower 4. From the lower part of tower 8, a. p1pe 9 leads to the lower part of tower 4, this pipe 9 inclining downwardly from tower 8 to tower 4 whereby condensed hydrocarbons are back trapped through pipe 9 to tower 4. The condensate from tower 8 is then circulated through the tower 4 by pump 6 along with the condensate from tower 4. Tower 8 may also have aspray 10 in its uppor portion whereby water may be introduced at the-top of tower 8 for regulating the temperature. This, however, is not always necessary, except in very hot weather, as the radiation from the tower 8 is found sufficient to carry oil the surplus heat. the bottom of tower 8 through draw-oil leg 11 and overflow pipe 11", this pipe having a vent 11".

Hydrocarbon or oil vapors are removed ter supplied through sprayer 10, a distil late 0 any desired end point results. The very heavy condensates which are separated out flow back through vapor line or pipe 3 to the still, the pipe 3 being in clined downwardly from the tower 4 to the still in order to permit the heavy liquid to thus flow back.

High boiling liquid residue is removed from still '1 through pipe 14, having vent 14,the pump '15 drawing off the liquid it is desired to remove through pipe 14. The effect of my invention is that a very excellent separation of gasoline is obtained whereas ordinarily two distillations are necessary. I am thus able to save the expense and material losses which naturally result from two distillations as compared .with one. Myinvention is also applicable to either light or heavy oils, and 7 any desired out can: be obtained, with sharp se aration, as indicated above.

ileI have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention and the referred method of operating the szme, I 0 not wish to be limited to details 0 construction, arrangement. or operation herein disclosed, except in so far as such de- Water is removed from h tails are essential to the novelty of the appended claims.

What Iclaim and Letters Patent is:

1. The method of obtaining light hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon oils containing water, which comprises vaporizing the oil to be treated, partially condensing the hydrocarbon vapors and simultaneously condensing the water vapors, subjecting the remaining vapors thereof to previously condensed hydrocarbons of higher boiling point obtained from said vapors, which latter are supplied by removing the water collected from the condensed vapors, and continuously circulating through said vapors the hydrocarbons thus obtained.

2. The method of obtaining light hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon oils containin water, which comprises vaporizing the oil to be treatedycontinuously subjecting the hydrocarbon vapors thereof to previously condensed hydrocarbons of higher boiling point obtained from said vapors whereby desire to protect by heavier portions of said hydrocarbon vapors and said water vapors are collected as condensates, separating said water from saidydrocarbon condensate.

3. The method of obtaining light hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon oils containin water, which comprises vaporizing the 011..

to be treated, partially condensing the hydrocarbon vapors and simultaneously condensing the water vapors, subjecting the remaining vapors thereby formed to previously condensed hydrocarbons of higher boiling point obtained from said vapors, which latter are supplied by removing the water collected from said condensed vapors, continuously circulating through said vapors, the hydrocarbons thus obtained, and then removing the remaining heavier hydrocarbons from the vapors thus obtained by partially cooling the same.

4. The method of obtaining light hydrocarbons from petroleum oils" contalning water, which comprises vaporizing the oil to be treated, partially condensing the hydrocarbon vapors and simultaneously condensing the water vapor obtained from said vapors whereby heavier portions of said vapors and said water are collected as convaporizing the oil to be treated,

. partially condensing said vapors, separating densed vapors as a second step in further partially condenslng said unc0ndensed vapors by spraying with Water at a definite l0 loi'nperatnre, removing the remaining unvondensed vapors, separating the. Water from the condensate, removing the condensate and returning it to the first mentioned condensate; and as a third step, in condensing 1b the remaining uncondensed vapors.

WILLARD C. AYERILL, JR. 

